[ alternatively : i'm here ]

IT WAS 1:32AM ON THE 12th MAY WHEN CATALINA RECEIVED THE PHONE CALL SHE HAD BEEN DREADING EVER SINCE SHE HAD MOVED BACK TO FORKS. Something had woken her before the shrill ringing of her phone filled the room, her duvet pooling at her waist as she sat up - lungs gasping for breath as her eyes flicked wildly around her room.

Something was wrong.

She winced as her phone rattled against her bedside table, pulling it against her ear as quickly as she could. "Hello?" She breathed into the speaker, hand moving to push her hair from her face.

"Cat, it's Paul." Jared's voice flooded her ears, and she felt her heart drop. "He's phased."

Cata had moved from her bed before he had even finished his sentence - craning her head so he phone was tucked under her skin as she pulled a thick jumper over her head. Her hand scrambled over her desk, looking for the keys she knew she had discarded there the evening previous. "Where are you?"

"At Sam's. He's shifted back." Catalina had always found it easy to read the Cameron boy; eyebrows furrowing at the waver of his voice - the slight hesitation as he mumbled down the phone. Her eyes closed over her keys, and she wasted no time before pushing her way from her room.

"What is it?" Catalina almost snapped before calming herself. He's fine, he's fine. He's fine. "Has something happened-?"

"His dad." Jared breathed heavily. "His dad's in the hospital."

She stopped - her movements ceasing at the top of the stairs. Her heart dropped. "How bad?"

"There was a lot of blood." He sounded scared.

"I'll be there in ten."

"Where in ten?" Catalina whirled round at the sound of the voice, breathe catching in her throat before she realised it was just Bella, her head peaking out from behind her bedroom door. "Is everything okay?"

"Course, B." She pocketed her phone, forcing a smirk pulling over her face. She felt sick. "Cover for me?"

She found herself nodding before she even realised what she was agreeing to. "Where are you going?" Isabella asked as she watched her twin turn back to the stairs; noticing her smile drop as soon as her gaze left Bella's.

"Nowhere important."

Isabella Swan could only watch as she hurried down the stairs, the soft click of the front door following her.

Catalina could do the drive to Paul Lahote's (or more specifically, Posie's) with her eyes closed - which came in useful given the tears that filled her eyes as her hands gripped the steering wheel. Her hand felt like it was in her throat; she knew she didn't have time. She knew it was changing, was going to change. But not yet, she thought she had more time.

But then again, so did everybody.

She felt pathetic, her biggest fear being that he wouldn't imprint on her - she felt like a needy little girl. She knew, she knew what this life was; and she had let herself get too involved. She had let herself get distracted.

And now a man lay in hospital.

The three boys who sat in Sam Uley's felt their ears perk at the slam of a car door, and Paul Lahote couldn't help but flinch at the sound; not lifting his head from where he sat biting his nails, his eyes trained on the carpet. Sam was the one to stand, moving from the room the four were cramped into to the front door.

Paul heard him open the front door before there was even a knock, tensing as he heard a voice. "Where is he?" His eyes raised to Jared - panic clear in them, and the Cameron boy shrugged helplessly as he looked to him. He didn't want her here, he didn't want her to see him like this.

Footsteps padded over the wooden floor of the hall, and Paul felt bile creep up his throat. It had changed. Everything had changed now. He couldn't bear it if she looked at him differently. He saw her hair first, knotted and windswept as she pushed her way into the room, Sam trailing on her heels.

Why was she here?

He looked different, the tattoo had already blossomed on his shoulder. Above the spot where three freckles used to lay. His hair was shorter as well.

She moved to him quickly, and he stood before he realised what he was doing - flinching from her arms that she held out to hug him.

Look at him, look at him. Look at him.

Paul felt his breath catch in his throat as her eyes met his. They were warm, and the same shade of green they had always been. The ones he had been in love with since he was a child. The ones he had pinned onto his wall. He felt hot; and not the weird searing painful heat that had practically pierced through his heart when he had... changed before - but it felt kind. He felt the air pass through his lungs, his blood curse through his veins, his feet move against the ground. But it all felt different. He had always laughed when Posie joked that he spun on a different axis to the rest of the world; but maybe there was truth in that, because looking to Catalina Swan now he felt a string attach from him to her, and her to him - a string, a rope, a vein - whatever. He fucking felt it. It may had never been gravity holding him to the earth, maybe it had been her all along.

And it was his Cata, his green eyed - laughed at his shit jokes - held his hand when he had panic attacks - made him feel like home Catalina Swan.

And Catalina Swan felt like she could drop to her knees in relief, tears almost filling her eyes as she pushed forward again, wrapping him into her arms.  Of course. Of course it was her.

It felt right.

Her arms tugged around his neck, pulling him so close he had no choice but to bury his face into her neck. She pressed soft kisses against his skin, her lips almost faltering at the heat that radiated from him, before pressing against his skin once more.

He was still her Paul.

He felt like he could breathe again.

"You're okay." She whispered softly against his neck, and he couldn't help but lean into the sound, the side of his face nudging against hers. "You're okay."

"Did he-?" Jared murmured softly, Sam nodding in reply. It felt private, it felt like looking at the sun. Emily beaconed for the two boys to follow her from the room, leaving the pair in the centre of the room.

Paul & Cata.

He was the one to pull away, knocking his forehead against hers. His eyes fluttered close as his hand gripped the back of her neck. "What's happened to me?" He choked out, and she could only squeeze her head against his, tilting forward on her tiptoes for he wouldn't have to lean forward so much, eyes pulling shut at his question. "My dad- fuck. My dad. I didn't mean to I promise.  I promise, Cat-."

Cata pulled away, her hands finding the sides of his face, steadying his face so she could meet his eyes. "You're dads going to be okay." She promised, thumbs brushing over his eyelids as they fluttered closed, leaning into her touch. "He's already at the hospital-."

"You didn't see the blood."

"I'm going to make sure he's okay." She spoke softly, frowning as he opened his eyes, confusion lingering in his gaze. Her words felt like a promise.

"How?"

"Maybe we should sit?"

Paul tensed at her words, but sat anyway (because let's be honest, he'd do anything she'd say to him). He frowned as she sat on the opposite end of the couch, her hands leaving his face. Catalina couldn't help the smile as he pulled on her hands, not resting until she was closer to him; so close that he could knock his knee against hers - which he did. He wanted to be close to her (not that he hadn't already), but it was different. He wanted it more. "I'm a witch." She breathed out so quick he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, knee stilling against hers. "I'm a witch. I can heal him."

"A witch?" He looked at her and it made sense. The way she'd watch him sometimes; her eyes lingering on the skin on his arm where a tattoo had now blossomed, soft kisses pressing against it like she knew. Like she knew this was going to happen. "And you knew? You knew I'd shift?"

"I couldn't stop it." His eyes snapped to hers from where he had been looking at her leg, connecting the splatters of freckles with his mind. There were tears in her eyes, and it was his turn to be the one to lift his hands to either side of her face. "I wanted to, I wanted to so badly. But I couldn't."

"That's not- that's not what I meant." He whispered. "And you'd do that? You'd heal him?"

"If you wanted me to." She replied with such certainty Paul felt his breath catch in his throat.

"And Sam and Jared, they know?"

"When they shifted, yes." He looked to her, she looked to him. "Did they explain everything?"

He hesitated. "I imprinted on you?"

He felt small as Catalina Swan looked to him, her eyes pulling over him. "Yes. But it can mean anything. It can mean - I don't want you to feel like this has to happen. Like the world is forcing us together, if you don't want this. That's okay. We can be friends."

He felt sick at the word. He had not spent half of his life waiting for Catalina Swan for her to think that he didn't want her.

"I think the world has always wanted us together. Don't you?"

She met his eyes, head tilting back as his thumb swiped over her lips. She did. She really, really fucking did.

"We're going to be okay, aren't we?" He whispered.

"We can't be how we were." She murmured, so quietly he almost missed it. "We can't ever be how we were. Everything's going to change."

"That's okay."

As long as I have you.

[ authors note!
HA some of u thought i wouldnt
let my babies imprint on each other.
only took twenty four chapters🤪
also emily's not going to have scars in this fic
bc i think its a bit overused of i have both
pauls dad and emily be hurt by the pack.
ALSO last bit of shamless promo but
i have a sirius black fic out
that i am already in love with and would
be super grateful if u could
check it out!! 20 comments for next chapter?]